#315Albums – No. 002 – Nirvana’s <em>Nevermind</em> (1991)

#315Albums is a list of 315 albums that appear on both the Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list, as well as the 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die book, edited by Robert Dimery. At its best, it is a representation of some of the greatest music ever released; at its worst, it is a journey through the history of music that the majority see as important, influential, and/or relevant. If nothing else, these albums are worth experiencing at least once to get a better understanding of music, which is why we are working to complete all #315Albums.

No. 002

“No album in recent history had such an overpowering impact on a generation – a nation of teens suddenly turned punk – and such a catastrophic effect on its main creator.”

Nirvana was one of those bands that I tried listening to in middle school because my friends were obsessed with them. I acted like I enjoyed them back then, and maybe I did, but Nevermind did nothing for me this time around. Outside of the popular “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, none of the other tracks connected with me at all. There are a couple other Nirvana albums on this list, including the one I used to own when I was younger, the live album Unplugged in New York. I’m interested to see if I find more to enjoy when that one comes around because I don’t want to dismiss one of the most influential and popular bands of the ’90s. Some tracks were better than others, but more stand out as negative than positive for me.

Branden has been a film fan since he was young, roaming the halls of Blockbuster Video, trying to find the grossest, scariest looking VHS covers to rent and watch alone in the basement. It wasn’t until recently, though, that Branden started seeking out the classics of cinema, and began to develop his true passion for the art form. Branden approaches each film with the unique perspective of having studied the art from the inside, having both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in acting. He has been a film critic since 2010, and has previously written for Inside Pulse Movies, We Love Cult, and Diehard Gamefan. His biggest achievement as a film critic, to date, has been founding Cinefessions and turning it from a personal blog to a true film website, housing hundreds of film and television reviews, and dozens of podcasts.